Linden explains why Sedins will have different experience than he had as Canucks president
Trevor Linden goes way back with Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
He became their teammate early on during their second season, when the Vancouver Canucks reacquired Linden in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Nov. 10, 2001.
Linden saw the Sedins develop into first-line players during his final six seasons in the league, then worked with them again when he became Canucks president of hockey operations from 2014 to 2018.
Even now, Linden says he still keeps in touch with Daniel and Henrik, noting that he sometimes sees them jogging by his house.
No surprise, he loves the decision to put the Sedins in charge.
“I was thrilled for them. Obviously you won’t find two finer people. I loved playing with those guys. I’ve remained in contact with them since. I loved when I worked with the team and they were players. You will not find better people,” Linden said in an interview on Sportsnet 650 with Satiar Shah and Bik Nizzar.
“They are great guys, they’re smart people, they’re good hockey people, and they care. They’re gonna do a great job.”
Like Linden, the Sedins made Vancouver their home after retiring as players.
“They care deeply about this franchise. This is their home. So it’s the right fit. They want to be here for the right reasons. This is more than a job for them. This is about something they care deeply about.”
The Sedins and Ryan Johnson have already made a visit to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice (@Canucks/X)
What everyone is hoping for is that Daniel and Henrik have a completely different experience than Linden had as president of hockey operations.
Linden hired Jim Benning as his general manager, and a rift reportedly developed between the two. It was said that Linden wanted to take a slower approach to rebuilding the team, while Benning sold ownership on a quicker fix.
When asked about what the biggest challenge would be for the Sedins, Linden seemed to harken back to the power struggle he went through.
“They’ve got trust between the two of them… and the general manager. That is critical. That is the most critical piece of the puzzle. They’re going to be able to provide a united front when it comes to ownership, which is absolutely critical. Something that I didn’t have, and I don’t think Patrik Allvin had that either.
“You won’t find three better people in the game than Ryan Johnson, and Daniel and Henrik… These guys are going to be able to look one another in the eye and trust each other.”
🗣️"You won't find three better people in the game than Ryan Johnson, Daniel and Henrik…These guys are going to be able to look one another in the eye and trust each other."
👉@SatiarShah & @BikNizzar are joined by Trevor Linden to talk #Canucks front office and more! pic.twitter.com/FlMjBhLZDX
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) May 20, 2026
And what happens when there’s not alignment?
“It’s a mess. It doesn’t work,” said Linden. “I think that it’s absolutely critical that you have alignment, that you have direction that everyone is aligned with. The vision… You can’t be in two separate boats. When I talk about a united front, these are the hockey people. They’re going to have a vision, they’re going to trust one another to stick with it, and they’re going to talk about it, and they’re going to trust one another.
“There’ll be hopefully no go-arounds, and nobody’s talking on the side.”
It feels like Canucks fans are united behind the Sedins right now. Given their popularity in the city, you know everyone is pulling for them to succeed.
But it also helps that the team hasn’t lost a game yet.
“There’s going to be some tough nights in the building. There’s going to be some tough stretches. And that’s when you have to stick with it and believe in the process and believe in the vision. It’s easy on day one.”